Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-12-24
CIlRIsTMAs IN THE JUNGLE.
mr. Horn aday-s Rensiniscence Of q hay
I'm the Hunters, Paradise.

PHASTs-A wErTIsG AND CHRISTMAS DINNER
s.Dtd you ever spend Christmas In the tungIe,-
TIE STAN reporter who asked the question was
seated In easy chair In the spacious study at
the home OF Mr.. Vim. 7. Hornaday, OF the smith,
sOnian Institution. In lie Droit Park And such a
study, too! objects on every side betrayed the
tastes and told something OF the life OF its owner
Thewalis display attempting array OF books, chiefly
relating 70 natural history travels and sports all
the remaining available space being covered with
drawings and paintings or jungle life, maps, cases
Of manuscript, rifles, mounted heads OF animals
and stuffed birds. over the desk is arranged a
group OF seven drawings. representing scenes
from the naturalsts life In the jungies Southern
Inuia among elephants, bison, tigers and other
biz game. on the Opposite " all hang four large
PICTURES representing Bornean scenes, the most
stIlNhs OF which Is a life-size water-coor OF Mr..
hornadAys baby orang-utan, made famous by
n0meV red-baired beast with bald and shiny
brown pate, seated medltatiyeIy on the limb OF a
green tree On the rOor scattered grand trophies
OF the chase. splendid leopard skin OF the largest
size II spread gu, IKE rug. An elephants loot Is
Il magnificent buffalo head, head Of a prong
horn antelope OF exquisite nish, heads and anters
az oeers and, most Interesting OF all, huge tigers
SKULL garnished with enormous teeth, that proves
10 be from the tiger that fell 70 Mr.. Hornaday IS
rfe In southern India, as described in "rwo Years
In the Jungle" IL was TO TINS study that Mr.:
Hornaday had invited THE STAR reporter, who had
called " chat with him Tue surroundings and
the approach VI Christmas day naturally suggested
the Question with which tine reporter hoped TO
draw out "A narrative OF some OF the naturalists
interesting experiences
HUNTERS PARADISE
'AOh, yes" said Mr.. HOrnaday, ~ spent one
Christmas In a genuine hunters paradise, the most
truly happy hunting ground mortal man ever
dreamed Of. II you have read my jungle book
you Know what l mean-the great Anlmallai
roTest Ia Southern India There are few sugges-
TONS of IL aud the naturalist pointed 10 the group
oi pictures on the wall
slow did you spend that particular Christmas"
well IL OF retrospective CHRISTMAS
SO 70 speak, and not aparticulTy Jolly one either
almost the last day OF my grand hunt In those
hills, and my work there was practically finished
] was waiting for some carts 10 come up from the
low country and haul down my collection i had
been there then about SIX months, and had gath
cred IN skins and rough skeletons BY the cord ac-
Kind Of luck ANA there really Was nothing more
10 b. desired from that locality. l had had
enough nrst-.,lass hunting TO last any reasonable
man for lifetime; but when that Christmas
came felt really blue over the thought that the
end had cOne at last for you see knew that after
come back
You must have killed a great many head OF
big game there from first 10 last?"
"lts," said Mr.. Hornaday, " did when you con-
slider that We preserved everything Killed, except
when We killed IOr meat The actual figures,
however, We're not really great Ia any other SENSE
and dat represent more Than One-tenth Of what
could have killed mao been bent on slaughter;
but have IL u say that since rTst began 10 col
lect have never killed a single specimen, MAN.
mai or bird, that did not either preserve eat.
no one can accuse Of wantOniy murdering
OF any Kind Anu that Is what made my Christmas
day hunt IN the AnInailais 80 peculiar that now
IL seems ~ me like a DREAM
"NOw," said IHE man, "that is what
Would lke To near ABOUT.
~ ell, said Mr.. iIoruaday, - don't think It's OF
any Interest To anybody except 10 me: but lust
wish could have the same chance this coming
ChristInas. that's all II the National Museum
wouldn't have valuable arcrssioIs in the snape OF
Indian bison and Oiher things TO the tune OF two
OF three wagon loads or more, then don't know
myself, that's all
CAMP IN THE ASIMALLu FORESTS.
The STAB reporter haVins now Started train of
"reminiscences leaned back In his chair an atten-
tive llsteDeT. and Mr. HOrnaday went on.
"lou at that time. ten years ago next sun
day, was literally surrounded by big game. |
was then at n ltiIe camp OF huts called Sungam
In the heart Of The forest, ana had Just wUu.u up
my hunt % The AnilnaIidi Hills by Killing, skin
hing and sAeletOulzlng a nne Old tusker elephant.
We n2d carried the skin out 10 Sungam, thlnned IL
down nicely, anu were trying TO ary it on seal
IOd " lille We waited for The carts To come up and
haul Us down
II living IN a wretched old bamboo hut
wretcheily enough, TO pe SURF The northwest
monsoon had DGrst upon us, and II rained aOout
hall the tiIfe. The NGOle :Urce Of tine forest de
partInent hid fed from the Ills, and ald my
gang Of Mulcers were literally uuonarcl5 OF ali
surveyed. IL was lonesome enough, TOO with NY
old mend, IheOOaId, and ali Iic elephants c.ean
gone out Of tine country. TIE grass In JIe gia1es
that was Oily foot high IN August was Inen
heav! raiIS Tie elephants aud DloOu md come
down from The higher Ranges literally III uusts,
and fairy surrounded The abandoned elephant
Il lad hoped To get out OF the forest ia time 10
spend Christmas IN IOlinOaiore bat II WAS not ~
Dc, aid The 18th iOUnd me still nsnting on Ine
jungle fever wItn qulline anu pae are, ana nod
Ing tie Tort Inege Was no white man within 30
miles OF me, aLI the only man IN NY gan. " no
knew christmas when he saw Al was DOT.ay saving.
the 'G.nlleLlants cod" He was my body - rvanI
and cox, and DOWNRIGHT good Ieilow, Too, II ne
Was u ll0rasee.
"Cnrslnas morrAng came along and by good
luck II vas bright anu clear. resOIved 10 20 Out
hunting with my gang for positively the ap-
peardnce and mai farewell performance beio.e
leaving the country 1 had enough specimens
already. and didn't propose 10 kill any g.ne at al!
unless W should cndnce TO run foul vi d u.er or
leopard. o. bear. l Diet rulnel To yIIsJ 20 OUT Tor
stroll aid look al game. Rather nIlculous no.
lion Tor a hunter, asn't IL. IL Will sound iiAc a
whoppd ia PRINT, know.
'-~hst eaiscd ap my five Mucers. and told
them W, would ~ VaJ " IND game they SEEMED
a MITE suTyrlscd, Dut SAID nothing, and. aIIer
Tightening up their loan cloths and dUing w their
back hat, tHey We're July equipped Tor the chase.
DorS saving, 40 y ou KNOW rs thristmIs?'
"'Thlsiiy, ssluD7'
"'les, tbs Gay. TOO bad we can't have a bir
dinner. - IL? Well, give Us the lest you've gut
- USUAL - on we went.
''Ihetet a. one great charm about hunting In
thai IJfet " Mich never IOuut elsewhere. NneIi-
ever We SnJ Out Tor u aunt We we're absolutely
certain tOeee oig game OF some Kind before re
I1Inlug hi possibly several Kinds I'm sure NO
sport>DaleNer had inner blii u fare than the
AniIltiasl.serVed up alive anu Ain. every day
Ou gOing ~ II was merely a uuts,Iol a, 10 wuai
We would ~ ami hO~ many. There was always
glorious tcertainty about what Was coming
next, the sn.e with Walt MhItmans poetry
IL might bti deer, Ut IL might be elephant: IL
might Dc bar, ella, tiger, bison, Wild no.s Wild
oOs. or slnle, any Thing la fact except what one
expectei tOSe.
'.Wel, wes struck on In single hle as usual NV
best trscAert aiding tine Way, with uIe at MS n,.l-
AMI the Otfr natives following Close alter Ne
went along silently as possible, and every man
Was Oh the l4eft- We usually found the mO.t OF
the big saIneta the more open parts vi the forest
wnerc there vas no uudesDrusn at all scarcely
but only huts, bare, tree-trunAa with their toi,,
lUO feet aDOSs u, and OlS thOrny cluin,ts OF Balm
bOo. Ia mary places II was Just IKE hunting
through the Smithsonian PARK, and never IODS
acrOSs that DtAttlGI open glade wheTe the urn II.
Ia front Of tte National Museum, witAOut my
thoughts nylr9 back 10 the Anilallal forest nc
was Ia Uist ssen gIades as that That We usually
found The her-s9f spotted deer.
HEKD or BISON
Before We ha gone mile that day we came
upon al iulmeIfs herd OF bison, like that one I'm
that picture up nere, feeding ON a grassy hillside
Lesids a httle riSr. There were nearly q hundred
Of them. blS and utle the largest herd ha1 seer
and ~ certainly was interesting sight Ne
crept up close 10 he sklrnl>aer-, aud from our
cOnCraIulrEt en- ped the sight. me Indian bison
II \ tftnc large than OUe>, Dut, haVInI no long
nsir ans y here, snOt nearly grand IN appear.
ance. The huge Jeasts grsLed aud llcketi their
calves ami rubteShgdinsj the trees, and content
eIiy stOUu sill. uill al length, after We had got
tIred Of Wdtchlu them, We gave a terrific veil
and tnrn such a >tmlcde never saw bison make.
before. In seCOuCihry all headed down hiu away
from u, and rusle down like an ay,!lncLt Iney
went Cr-shing aI tearing msdiy through the
dashed into